Rubric for the Assessment of Oral Communication: Content Indicators of Effective Content Introduction: gains attention, connects to topic, establishes credibility
Thesis Statement: explicit, identifies topic, previews main points
Connection to Audience: needs & interest, demonstrates understanding
Subject Knowledge: depth of content, relevant support, clear explanation
Organization: main points distinct from support, transitions, coherence
Levels of Achievement Beginning
Developing
Competent
Accomplished
No attention getting strategy was evident. No clear or relevant connection to topic or speech purpose. No credibility was established.
Use of attention getting strategy, but did not seem to adequately capture audience attention and/ or lead to desired outcome. Credibility was implied.
Effective strategy to capture listeners’ attention. Adequate introduction of the topic. Credibility was established by the speaker.
Creative attention getting strategy captures listeners’ attention to introduce the topic. It is relevant to the topic and clearly gains the desired response from the audience. Credibility was established by speaker.
No thesis statement. Main points are not clearly identified, audience unsure of the direction of the message.
Thesis is implied, although not explicitly stated. Topic is clearly identified, but main points are not clearly previewed.
Thesis statement identifies topic and lists/previews main points.
Speaker clearly stated a well formulated thesis statement during the speech introduction. Thesis statement identifies topic and lists/previews main points.
Topic seems irrelevant to audience needs and interests. No attempt made to connect topic to audience.
Topic seems somewhat relevant to audience. Vague reference to audience needs and or interests. Identifies target audience.
Clearly stated the relevance of topic to audience needs and interests. Expresses an understanding of their target audience.
Connection of topic to audience needs and interests is stated with sophistication. Identifies and expresses a deep understanding of their target audience.
Provides irrelevant or no support. Explanation of concepts is inaccurate or incomplete.
Provides some support for main points, but needed to elaborate further with explanations, examples, descriptions, etc. Support is relevant, but not timely.
Main points adequately substantiated with timely, relevant and sufficient support. Accurate explanation of key concepts.
Depth of content reflects thorough understanding of topic. Main points well supported with timely, relevant and sufficient support. Provided precise explanation of key concepts.
Lack of structure. Ideas are not coherent. No transitions. Difficult to identify introduction, body, and conclusion.
General structure/organization seems adequate. Difference between main points and supporting details is blurred. Logical flow, but no clear signposts for transitions.
Clear organizational pattern. Main points are distinct from supporting details. Smooth transitions differentiate key points.
Effective organization well suited to purpose. Main points are clearly distinct from supporting details. Graceful transitions create coherent progress toward conclusion.
Rubric for the Assessment of Oral Communication: Delivery Indicators of Effective Delivery
Levels of Achievement Beginning
Developing
Competent
Accomplished
Reads speech from notes/manuscript. Avoids eye contact with audience.
Conspicuous use of speaker notes. Only occasional, sporadic glances at audience.
Eye contact establishes rapport with audience. Unobtrusive use of speaker notes. Scanning of audience to establish a zone of interaction.
Consistently uses eye contact to maintain rapport with audience. Inconspicuous use of speaker notes. Effective use of scanning to expand zone of interaction.
Body language is not supportive of the message, may contradict it. Gestures, facial expressions, and posture are stiff or distracting.
Body language is a minimal support of the verbal message. Gestures, facial expressions, and posture reflect speaker discomfort that occasionally interferes with the message.
Body language is an adequate support of the message. Movement and gestures clarify key points. Facial expressions and posture seem comfortable.
Gestures, facial expressions, and posture reinforce and enhance the verbal message. Body language is expressive, dynamic, natural and comfortable.
Fails to maintain audience interest and support the verbal message due to excessive rate, pitch, volume monotone, inappropriate rate and tone are natural and volume. Pitch may be and authentic strained or flat.
Inconsistent use of voice to support message. Monotone passages interfere with audience interest. Rate may be too fast or slow; volume too high or low. Pitch is strained at times, too artificial or too nervous.
Tone fits verbal message, changing for emphasis at appropriate moments. Rate and volume allow audience to follow message. Pitch seems natural to speaker.
Tone is authentic and appropriate to topic. Rate, pitch and volume vary at key points to support the verbal message and keep audience interest. Voice is natural to the speaker and topic, talking with rather than at audience.
Pronunciation is mostly correct yet enunciation and articulation are still tentative. Speaker recovers from awkward pauses and proceeds.Vocalized fillers are noticeable but not excessive.
Careful pronunciation supports coherence of presentation. Enunciation and articulation of words are mostly clear. Pauses were momentary and did not interrupt fluency of speech. Vocalized fillers are minimal and do not distract the audience.
Coherence of presentation strongly supported by correct pronunciation, confident enunciation and articulation. Pauses are purposeful and enhance fluency of speech. Virtually no vocalized fillers are noticeable.
Eye Contact: establish rapport; expand zone of interaction
Movement: expressive, comfortable, enhances message
Voice:
Fluency: pronunciation, enunciation, articulation are smooth; lack of fillers
Incoherent presentation due to many factors that undermine fluency including poor pronunciation. Long pauses interrupt flow of speech. Excessive use of vocalized fillers distracts audience.
This rubric is intended for use in the assessment of student achievement at the institutional level. It can also be used as a guide for development of rubrics to measure writing at the program, course and section levels. Please send your comments and suggestions about this rubric to Kurt Ewen, LET Co-chair kewen@valenciacc.edu. For more information http://valenciacc.edu/learningevidence/
http://valenciacc.edu/learningevidence/
for Oral & Written Communication
RUBRICS Rubric for the Assessment of Written Communication Indicators of Effective Writing Meaning & Development: ideas, examples, reasons & evidence, point of view
Organization: focus, coherence, progression of ideas, thesis developed
Language: word choice, & sentence variety
Conventions: grammar, punctuation, spelling, paragraphing, format
Levels of Achievement Beginning
Developing
Competent
Accomplished
Inappropriate No viable point of view; little or no evidence; weak critical thinking, providing inappropriate or insufficient examples, reasons, or other evidence of support
Appropriate Develops a point of view, demonstrating some critical thinking; may have inconsistent or inadequate examples, reasons, & other evidence of support; support tends towards general statements or lists
Effective Develops a point of view & demonstrates competent critical thinking; enough supporting detail to accomplish the purpose of the paper
Insightful Ideas are fresh, mature & extensively developed; insightfully develops a point of view & demonstrates outstanding critical thinking
Lacking Structure Disorganized & unfocused; serious problems with coherence and progression of ideas; weak or non-existent thesis
Mostly Structured Limited organization & focus; may demonstrate some lapses in coherence or progression of ideas; generally, neither sufficient nor clear enough to be convincing
Structured Generally organized & focused, demonstrating coherence & progression of ideas; presents a thesis and suggests a plan of development which is mostly carried out
Perceptively Structured Thesis presented or implied with noticeable coherence; provides specific & accurate support
Inadequate Displays frequent & fundamental errors in vocabulary; sentences may be simplistic and disjointed
Adequate Developing facility in language use, sometimes uses weak vocabulary or inappropriate usage or word choice; sentence structure tends to be pedestrian & often repetitious
Proficient Competent use of language and sometimes varies sentence structure; generally focused
Sophisticated Choice of language & sentence structure; precise & purposeful, demonstrating a command of language and variety of sentence structures
Distracting Errors interfere with writer’s ability to consistently communicate purpose; pervasive mechanical errors obscure meaning; inappropriate format
Fundamental Errors interfere with the writer’s ability to communicate purpose; contains an accumulation of errors; some weakness in format
Controlled Occasional errors do not interfere with writer’s ability to communicate purpose; generally appropriate format
Polished Control of conventions contribute to the writer’s ability to communicate purpose; free of most mechanical errors; appropriate format
This rubric is intended for use in the assessment of student achievement at the institutional level. It can also be used as a guide for development of rubrics to measure writing at the program, course and section levels. Please send your comments and suggestions about this rubric to Kurt Ewen, LET Co-chair kewen@valenciacc.edu. Based on CLAST & SAT Writing Rubrics. For more information http://valenciacc.edu/learningevidence/